Re: Thief-Proof Numbers (body serial numbers)

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2009/3/17 22:32:45

There are a lot of questions there. First, not all VN tags are stainless, some are aluminum and silkscreened, some are brass and etched, some are brass and silkscreened. And only the later years were welded to the car, from at least 1950 back to the 20s they were affixed with screws.

The "official" vehicle number is the one on the patent or VN plate. The thief-proof was assigned at a point long before the car had a VN associated with it, and as Packard said was "a number only to be used when the other numbers are defaced or altered".

The Briggs number only applies for the years that Briggs built the bodies, 1941 thru 1954. It reflects the particular body type and Briggs' production number, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's the order in which Packard chose to assemble the finished cars, thus the bit of difference between Briggs and Packard's VN.

This is a bit abbreviated but hopefully you've got a better grasp now. If not, let me know.